Bogie I get your point of a 383,but guys two yrs down the road get the etch and get bored with what they have and want more.They reach for the bottle for more and nitrous is hard on the bottom end.That's where I have a issue with building with a cast crank.It's about $300 bucks difference to get a very good forged stroker crank that will allow for the expansion of a build two yrs later.(Howards comes to mind)I suggest in builds like this a bottom end for all occasions.Yeah,upgrade rods two.Speed does cost,if the builder is coming up short on cash,he should wait and save more to get the good quality parts.After all,at the end of the day it is in his best interest.

I wouldn't disagree about the crank, but I'll say in restricted classes where a cast crank is mandtory, we've been getting excellent results with the 9000 lightweight SCAT casting against a manual gear box. These should ge further when teamed against an automatic as the shock loads are lower than what a clutch does to the shaft. But if you're going to feed it dentist juice then you're a lot better off with a forging.